Final Fantasy Tactics Advance: Talis' Quest
by Talis Shadowspear
Summary: Talis' adventures with Clan AVALANCHE
1. Chapter 1: Introduction to Engagements

AN: These names are property of Square-Enix, except Catherine, the name of Insanityzcat, used only by her expressed permission.  
  
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance: Talis' Quest  
  
Chapter One: Introduction to Engagements and Uninvited Visitors  
  
"According to the info, this town is where our mission lies. Ready, boys?" Of course this was Marche speaking, leader of clan AVALANCHE. Talis took the opportunity to take a look at his new boss. Marche was a thin man, almost a child, really, had blonde hair with a long tuft sticking straight up at the top of his head. He was wearing the typical uniform of a soldier, but Talis could tell he was.... Well, from another time, maybe.  
  
"Yup, we're ready!" shouted Kipper, one of an orange, lizard like race called the Bangaa. He was the clan's Monk, the student of Martial Arts.  
  
"Keep it down, Kipper!" whispered Marcy, the clan's White Mage, a master of healing magic. "Or you'll alert the other clan to our presence!"  
  
"I think everyone's here, Marche." Talis said, noticing that also there were Delio the Black Mage, Catherine the Thief, and Sammy the Archer.  
  
"Alright everyone, charge!" Marche yelled. Talis started to run out into the town, which had by this time become a battlefield, when Marche caught him by the arm. "Stay back, you know the rules, six on six."  
  
Talis was the new addition to the clan, and Marche took this opportunity to teach him about fighting in Ivalice.  
  
"See here, the Judge is like a referee, the one who makes sure everyone follows the Law. You can see the laws posted on the wall over there." he said, pointing to a large sign on the wall next to him. The sign read:  
  
Today's Laws,  
  
Forbidden Recommended  
  
Missile Swords  
  
Skills Techniques  
  
"Uh oh, Sammy's just earned himself a yellow card... There goes our payment for this mission." Marche said.  
  
"Why did he get a yellow card?" Talis asked.  
  
"Well Talis, when you break the laws in Ivalice, you get a yellow card. The second time, you get a red card and that sends you to prison. Sammy didn't check the laws for today and got a yellow card for shooting his bow, a missile weapon." Marche said in disdain. "Sammy, make sure you check the laws next time!"  
  
"Anyway, there is one Judge per engagement. Battles are called engagements in Ivalice. The Judges may seem a but annoying at first, but really they have a second purpose. Where there is no judge, there is nothing to prevent true death. In this battle, your friends there will only be knocked out for awhile. Watch out for places called Jagds, lawless areas where even class-A criminals won't go. If you're knocked out in there, you're a goner."  
  
"Thanks for the information, Sir!" Talis exclaimed. "Wow, it looks like the battle -- er, engagement -- is almost done. We're winning!"  
  
"What was the info price on this mission, Talis?" Marche asked.  
  
"It was pretty cheap, so I picked it up." Talis said. "Somewhere around 700 gil."  
  
"700 gil eh? That is cheap! The more expensive the info, the harder the mission and the better the reward. Next time try to get a harder mission. This clan... Whaddaya call 'em, clan Tornado...? Well anyway, they weren't that tough. I almost feel sorry for beating them so easily!" Marche and Talis burst out laughing at this concept, and soon enough the others came, dragging the KO'd Delio behind.  
  
"What a waste of 700 gil! Sammy, did you absolutely have to go and break today's law!?" Marcy exclaimed.  
  
"I already told you, I'm sorry!" Sammy said. "I... I just forgot, okay?" Sammy was sincere; you could hear it in his voice.  
  
"It's okay, Sammy." Marche said. "Marcy won't pick on you anymore, will she?" Marche cast a heavy glance towards Marcy at the last two words, emphasizing she apologize.  
  
"I'm sorry Sammy." Marcy said.  
  
"Alright everyone, it's time to head back to the base!" At Marche's command, the entire clan went, in their own way, to their base. Of course the mages teleported, the Catherine stole about in the shadows, and Talis and Marche just walked down the street, followed by Kipper. As Marche opened the door to the base, he was astonished at what he saw. The entire armory and potion stock had been raided, more than half of their gil was gone, and there was a solitary note in the middle of the floor.  
  
"That's it AVALANCHE! We've had it with you! Come to the Materiwood tomorrow if you want your stuff back!  
  
Forever yours,  
  
Clan Dorkwad" 


	2. Chapter 2: Revenge on Clan Dorkwad

Chapter 2  
  
Revenge on Clan Dorkwad  
  
"Well this isn't good. We'd better head to the Materiwood and look for clan Dorkwad." Marche said.  
  
Clan AVALANCHE set out towards the Materiwood. Marche and the others went ahead, with Talis bringing up the rear. As they reached the eaves of the forest, night was starting to descend around Talis. Everything went quiet, and Talis had the feeling that he should expect something to jump out of the bushes... He looked around, but it wasn't the bushes that spawned his attackers, it was the air! It seems the entire clan Dorkwad was made up of mages, and, using their teleport ability, surrounded clan AVALANCHE.  
  
"Whoa, looks like we got ourselves a pincer attack here!" Marche whispered to the rest of the clan.  
  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Could it be...? Clan AVALANCHE trying to get their stuff back? So, you saw our little note did you?" said Miserie, the leader of clan Dorkwad. Talis then noticed that the clan was completely made up of Vieras, a predominantly female race of humanoids with rabbit-like ears.  
  
"Yeah, we're here to get our stuff back! Why else would we be here?" Marche exclaimed.  
  
"Well then, shall we begin the engagement?"  
  
"Bring it on! AVALANCHE, Battle Positions!" The Judge suddenly appeared, a man all in armor riding a white Chocobo. He blew his whistle and the law sign appeared on a tree.  
  
Forbidden Recommended  
Items Attack  
  
"To win, defeat all enemies!" The Judge shouted, and with that, the engagement began. Marche lead the charge, sword slashing in front of him. Miserie snuck up behind him, but she wasn't able to get in an attack, because Sammy placed a well aimed shot at her arms, disabling her. Talis fought against one of their Black Mages, and he was down, but not out! As the Black Mage gathered up a Fire spell, Talis pulled the reflective shield off of his back and blasted the fire back towards his enemy, finishing her off! Kipper placed an Air Render technique, which punches the air into the enemy, right towards an enemy White Mage. She dodged it, then cast a Zombify spell on Kipper, followed by a Life spell from the other White Mage. Kipper was down, for cure magic hurts zombies. But both White Mages soon felt the sting of Marche's sword, and never got in another attack. Catherine managed to steal the enemy's armor and weapons without even getting caught, and then finished the enemy off with an attack from behind. Sammy then sniped Miserie and the engagement was over.  
  
"Fine, you won. But you'll have to get the stuff from the Crystal Palace in the basement of the Ivalice Royal Court! Let's just see you get in there with a bounty on your head, Marche! Mwahahahahahahaha!!!" Miserie burst out in evil laughter.  
  
"Well, this looks like a Dispatch mission. Catherine, you're the thief, you're up for this one." Marche said, after Miserie had disappeared in a burst of gray smoke.  
  
Catherine set out for the Palace... 


	3. Chapter 3: The Crystal Palace

Chapter 3: The Crystal Palace  
  
Talis took in his surroundings. Clan AVALANCHE was up in a tree overlooking the palace, plotting their -- well, Catherine's - mission.  
  
"If you need help, we'll come back you up, but try not to get caught breaking into the palace! We need to go to the Crystal Palace without being seen." Marche said. "As this clan's thief, that's where you come in."  
  
"I'll do my best, Marche!" Catherine said with enthusiasm as she dropped out of the tree and crouched behind a bush. This area of the palace was a garden. "Queen Remedi must really like hedgerows" Catherine thought as she noticed the garden was like a maze of hedges. There were guards everywhere! Catherine took her place behind one guard, but so the one behind her couldn't see her. She followed the guard to the next area, and passed into another hedgerow room. It was there that she found her entrance point: a small water duct for the palace moat. She quickly removed the grate and slipped in quietly, crawling through the tunnel. The slime and stench was wetting her hands and knees as she crawled through the muck, but it was more important she get to the Crystal Palace in the Royal Court basement.  
  
Soon, Catherine saw a light at the end of the water duct, and she came out of the tunnel and into the kitchen, where there was running water for the cooks to wash their hands, emptying out into a pool from a grate the size of the moat grate. She easily snuck past the cook and ducked into the shadows just in time, for a guard had just come out from the door next to her. She watched the guard go past and then stepped out, went through the door and down the stairs. Catherine realized she was getting closer to the stolen loot with every step she took down the cold, dark staircase.  
  
Finally she reached the bottom, and as soon as she turned the corner of the hallway she saw a huge statue, and the air around it started warping! The warping area quickly grew bigger and engulfed the whole room, and when it cleared, she was in an ancient-looking palace with a big crystal in the back. "This is it!" she thought, as she saw the pile of stolen weapons and armor and gil lying on the ground in the Crystal Palace. She quickly loaded it all up into the sacks she had brought for that exact purpose, and soon enough she was starting out on the way back. but she didn't know how to get out of the ancient palace! She tried everything, the door was stuck, there were no windows, and just when she was about to give up, the air warped again, and she suddenly found herself back behind the bush she had crouched behind before the trek to the Crystal Palace.  
  
"Hey! Catherine! It's us! Looks like you got the stuff back!" She could hear Marche's voice from somewhere above her, and then she remembered the clan's hiding place in the tree.  
  
"I sure did, Marche! Lets head back to the base with is and regroup for our next mission!" Catherine yelled back, ecstatic that she had finished her first Dispatch mission 


	4. Chapter 4: Learning of the Kiro Crystals

Chapter 4: Learning of the Kiro Crystals  
  
The pub was a loud kind of place; Talis could hear anything from the latest rumors, to stories of other clans' adventures, to info on missions. It was also the kind of place people went to for a hot meal and a warm place to sleep.  
  
"Welcome back, Marche! So this is the new member, what was his name? Talis?" The man behind the counter said.  
  
"Greetings, friend. Yes, this is the new guy we picked up. He's got a natural talent for battle! You'd have to see it to believe it." Marche praised. "Actually, we were looking for another mission. Do you have anything we might like?"  
  
"Yes, actually I do! Knowing you as the one that destroyed the Crystals and attempted to bring back your world, I'd think you would like this mission. Have you ever heard of the land of Kiro?"  
  
"No, actually I haven't. Is it a newly formed continent or something?"  
  
"No, Marche. Kiro is in another universe that, although much like our own, has some key differences. First off, it is a land of pure evil, and you can get away with any kind of crime. Kiro is also very hard to get to. One would have to go to the top of the Kudik Peaks and find a seam, but not like any other seam. This seam must be tinted red where it warps the air around it. And Kiro has its own set of Crystals. These Crystals, like the ones here in Ivalice, hold Kiro together, and each are guarded by a Totema. Even now, Kiro is planning an invasion on Ivalice. You must go to Kiro and destroy their Crystals, for that world is not wanted, and the Crystals are the only force holding it together."  
  
"Thanks for the info. I'll be right on it." Marche said. "Come on, AVALANCHE! We're going to Kiro!"  
  
Clan AVALANCHE set off towards Kudik Peaks, and thus started their long, tireless journey to Kiro. 


End file.
